Last Updated:
As soon as Russian President Vladimir Putin left for India on an official visit, his aircraft safety protocols once again became a topic of discussion for the world. Two identical IL-96-300PU presidential aircraft, callsigns RSD221 and RSD369, were seen flying over Kazakhstan. The transponders of both the planes kept switching on and off at different times, making tracking even more complicated.
President Putin’s Visit to India and His Decoy Plane: Since this morning, the eyes of the whole world are fixed on Russian President Vladimir Putin. The reason is that today he is coming on a visit to India and the manner in which he is coming has surprised everyone. Actually, this time two exactly identical aircraft have been included in President Vladimir Putin’s fleet. Not only are the models of these two aircraft the same, but their appearance is also exactly the same. President Putin is traveling with his close aides in these two aircraft of IL-96-300PU model.
But when the question comes, in which aircraft is the Presidential Police, the answer lies either with President Putin himself or with his security agencies. Actually, for President Putin, two identical aircraft are a super secret security trick of Russia, which is called ‘decoy flight’ in the world. Meaning one real aircraft and one fake. Both fly together, sometimes the radar signal of one is switched off, sometimes that of the other. In between, both of them also disappear. Russia’s security agency has taken this in view of the recent war with Ukraine and the resentment of European countries.
Perhaps this is the reason why when the Russian President’s plane entered the sky of Kazakhstan, a decoy drill was started between the two aircraft. In the flight tracker, two planes were visible over Kazakhstan, just a short distance apart, on the same route and at the same speed. One is named RSD221 while the other is RSD369. Now it is very difficult to know which plane Putin is on.
What is the specialty of President Putin’s IL-96 aircraft?
Russia has four such special IL-96 aircraft. This is no ordinary aircraft, it is a flying Kremlin. Sitting inside, Putin can control Russia’s nuclear power from any corner of the world. It is equipped with satellite phones, jamming system, special equipment to protect against missiles. Once the fuel tank is full, it can fly up to 13 thousand kilometers without stopping. This means that while coming from Moscow to Delhi, there is no need to land anywhere in between.
Double shield protocol drill is not new
This trick is not new. Even before this, Russian security agencies have been using ‘Double Shield Protocol’ for the security of President Vladimir Putin. Meaning, if someone wants to attack by drone or missile, then first they will have to find out which is the real Putin aircraft. And it is impossible to know, because both the aircraft keep switching their signals on and off every few minutes. Sometimes one is visible on the radar, sometimes the other, sometimes both are missing.
